Peter Oborne is the Daily Telegraph's chief political commentator.

Sachin Tendulkar's career was sublime. But Alastair Cook's could surpass it

Amid the celebrations of Sachin Tendulkar’s sublime career, I have seen it written time and again that the little master’s achievement can never be repeated.

I disagree. There is one serious candidate who can surpass Tendulkar. Alastair Cook, the England cricket captain, already has 97 Test matches under his belt, in the course of which he has scored 7,801 runs at an average of 47.85, including 25 centuries.

Cook plays on average a dozen Tests a year. At the rate he is going, he needs only another eight or at most nine years at the top to surpass Tendulkar’s 200 Tests.

That is entirely feasible. Cook is 28 years old, and will be 36 in eight years time, by no means ancient for a Test cricketer. Tendulkar, let’s not forget, has just retired at the age of 40.

Of course, all manner of things can go wrong: injury, early retirement, permanent loss of form. But Cook has already displayed outstanding temperament. In many ways he is similar to Tendulkar. There is very little swagger to him, he is undemonstrative, he remains a very private person. He allows his achievements to speak for him.

And while the evidence is there for all to see that Cook is a great Test batsman, it is not yet proven that he will turn into a great Test captain. Tendulkar, it should be remembered, never quite came off as captain of India.

I am sure I am putting undue burden on the England skipper (and my fellow Daily Telegraph columnist) by comparing him to the wonderful Sachin Tendulkar, especially on the eve of the Ashes series. And I accept that such a comparison is premature.

But Cook has already shown that he is something very special, and we should celebrate him accordingly.